Mr. Golf Etiquette: Character, the golf swing and Ben Hogan

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We live in a time of great concern about people's character. And the concern seems to become greater and greater as we observe less and less character demonstrated in our society. |ret||ret||tab|

The character issue looms large in presidential politics. Many news and popular magazines have run cover stories on the lack of character exhibited by Americans (we lie, we cheat, we steal), and we are constantly confronted in our daily lives by situations that underscore the fact that true character appears to be in diminishing supply.|ret||ret||tab|

Our fascination with character should not be seen as unusual though. Character has been analyzed and probed throughout the ages. Aristotle studied the human character as did Shakespeare, Emerson and many others across the span of time.|ret||ret||tab|

But I believe Ben Hogan captured it well when he described character as, "a set of fundamentals that proved to me they were right because they stood up and produced under all kinds of pressure."|ret||ret||tab|

Ben Hogan, not known for his sparkling personality, was well-known for the character he exhibited on and off the course. His character was clearly displayed in the latter years of his career, when he played under tremendous pressure from the pain he experienced from injuries suffered in a tragic car accident. Every painful step he took down the fairways bore witness to the inner strength that drove the man.|ret||ret||tab|

But actually, the comment above by Ben Hogan is not really about character. It is a quote from his book, published in 1957, "Five Lessons, The Modern Fundamentals of Golf." And the comment referred not to developing a good character, but a good golf swing. |ret||ret||tab|

It is interesting to note, however, that there are quite a few similarities between developing a good golf swing and developing a good character.|ret||ret||tab|

Like your golf swing, your character is something you must develop over your whole lifetime. Perfection, which we know to be unattainable, is not the goal; the goal is constant improvement. The good news for those who are struggling in either area is that with proper guidance and focused efforts, improvement is always possible. |ret||ret||tab|

When you read Hogan's book you will see that the man, whom many believe to have had the greatest swing of all time, also had a great many things of value to say about developing one's character.|ret||ret||tab|

In his book Hogan talks briefly about the "miracle shot" he took at Merion in 1950 a 2-iron played to, "a well-trapped, slightly plateaued green from about 200 yards out." By hitting that shot perfectly, and two putting, he forced a play-off in the U.S. Open, which he won the next day.|ret||ret||tab|

His perspective on that shot differs from that of the many spectators who witnessed the event. Whereas the spectators viewed the shot as a glamorous moment, unique and isolated, Hogan didn't see it that way at all. |ret||ret||tab|

"I didn't hit that shot then that late afternoon at Merion. I'd been practicing that shot since I was 12 years old. After all, the point of tournament golf is to get command of a swing, which the more pressure you put on it, the better it works." |ret||ret||tab|

Isn't that the same challenge for character the more pressure put on it the better it works? Hogan's observation reminds us why, like the golf swing, character is something that is best developed from the time a person is very young.|ret||ret||tab|

Hogan talks passionately about practicing the right things. "It really cuts me up to watch some golfer sweating over his shots on the practice tee, throwing away his energy to no constructive purpose, nine times out of 10 doing the same things wrong he did years and years back when he first took up golf." |ret||ret||tab|

But hey, haven't we also seen many people who are practicing the wrong things in their lives, too? And haven't some of those people been doing the same things wrong for years and years without ever giving a thought to what they are doing?|ret||ret||tab|

If you are interested in improving your golf swing you should read Ben Hogan's book. In it Hogan has shared some insights he developed over the course of a spectacular career. And if you read between the lines, you will see that Mr. Hogan has revealed the quality of his own character by sharing his insights on the subject he knows best.|ret||ret||tab|

So too, if you are interested in developing a character that will stand up to the pressures of life, remember what Ben Hogan said about the golf swing, "Frequently, you know, what looks like a fairly good golf swing falls apart in competition the harsh light of competition reveals that a swing is only superficially correct. It can't stand up day after day. A correct swing will. In fact, the greater the pressure you put on it, the better your swing should function, if it is honestly sound." |ret||ret||tab|

The same is true of your character.|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|(Jim Corbett is the creator and developer of the Mr. Golf Etiquette Web site, www.mr golf.com, a regular contributor on the national golf radio show, "The Golf Guys" and co-author of "The GolfBook for Kids.") |ret||ret||tab|

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